"The Government Shut the Door on Private Aviation Tourism" 

Caribbean Flying Adventures founder Jim Parker told interested aviators that recent developments in the Cayman Islands have been surprisingly unfriendly to continued operation of private aviation in the region.

His outfit leads continuous voyages of multiple privately owned and operated aircraft to locations throughout the Caribbean, from the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Antigua, and even Cuba. Operations all over the region have been subjected to a series of pandemic-inspired changes and fees, bringing tremendous headache and hassle to the ordinary pilot. 

The most recent change in the Caymans is the institution of new mandatory fees that have nearly quintupled in price for the simple act of landing a private plane. Parker laid out the price increases, saying "The new mandated fees will bring total costs for a small, single engine piston aircraft with four people on board, staying for three nights, to US$748 vs US$196 in the Bahamas. Flying to Cayman Brac? US$923 vs US$196 in the Bahamas. The Cayman Islands has now become the most expensive airport for small private planes in the entire Caribbean." 

The competition in the region is stiff. After all, each one of its neighboring countries enjoys the same weather, the same sun, and the same sand as the Caymans, so why would a cash-conscious private pilot waste more money than they have to? The Caymans lie about the same distance from Florida as similar destinations in the Bahamas, which have already sufficiently tempted dozens of flights enough to cancel their plans and head elsewhere. Caribbean Flying Adventures, heeding the requests of its customers, canceled their March fly-in of nearly 20 light aircraft due to the changes. Of course, the price bump isn't the only change. New requirements for specified arrival time slots are now in effect at the main Cayman airport a lá Dulles and La Guardia. Additionally, aircraft are now required to use handlers for their use, another cost that has increased from its previous baseline. The handler charge is another $175 to $350 hit on the pocketbook, making a simple landing for a 4-seat GA plane cost nearly $1,000 just to land. 

How long these changes will last remains to be seen. If reality sees fit to impose on the government's bottom line enough that they see an impact on revenues and tourist traffic, then things may head back in a better direction. Whether or not bureaucrats reverse course? Well, the Bahamas are right next door. 

FMI: www.CaribbeanFlyingAdventures.com